CAREER: The Integration of Biomolecular Motors for Bacterial Actuation, Sensing, and Transport (BAST) at Micro/Nanoscale

这个早期教师职业奖的研究目标是发展鞭毛细菌作为微工程系统网络中可控、可重构元素的基本基础，并适应纳米级设备中使用的聚合物蛋白质纳米结构。这个项目的智力价值将通过纳米结构和纳米器件的创新实验和计算建模来建立，这些纳米结构和纳米器件对医学、电子和能源学科等不同领域都很重要。重点将放在细菌鞭毛的多态转化在各种应用中的应用，包括：直接驱动纳米级结构机器；通过泵送和混合驱动流体；机械驱动，包括自动运输系统；以及通过无机-有机纳米管实现的电气/电子驱动。该教育计划的目标是将生物和流体系统的相关纳米/微尺度工程物理学引入工程专业本科生和研究生的教育经验中。为了实现这一目标，我们将开设一门关于纳米制造和工程技术计量等新兴技术的课程，从而为增加学生的学习体验创造巨大的潜力。如果成功，这项研究的结果将导致对如何设计细菌鞭毛多态性的理解，以制造一种全新的纳米级致动器和传感器系统。在这个程序中开发的实验技术将广泛应用于其他纳米级系统，其中流体与纳米级结构相互作用。综合教育活动将有助于培养对国家制造业竞争力至关重要的生物纳米技术人才。外展部分将为费城地区K-12机构的教师和学生提供基于实验室的纳米技术体验学习模块。这些活动将使传统上在高等教育中代表性不足的群体更加认识到STEM教育的重要性。

The research objective of this Early Faculty CAREER award is to develop the fundamental foundations for the use of flagellated bacteria as controllable, reconfigurable elements in a network of micro-engineered systems, and to adapt polymeric protein nanostructures for use in nanoscale devices. The intellectual merit of this project will be established through both innovative experiments and computational modeling of nanostructures and nanodevices that are of importance to diverse areas such as medicine, electronics, and energy disciplines. The focus will be on the use of the polymorphic transformation of bacterial flagella in a variety of applications including: direct actuation of nanoscale structural machines; fluid actuation through pumping and mixing; mechanical actuation including autonomous transportation systems; and electrical/electronic actuation through inorganic-organic nanotubes. The goal of the education plan is to bring relevant nano/microscale engineering physics of biological and fluid systems into the educational experience of undergraduate and graduate engineering students. Toward this goal, a course will be offered on the emerging technologies of nanoscale manufacturing and metrology for engineering and technology therefore creating enormous potential for an increased student learning experience.If successful, the results of this research will lead to improved understanding of how the bacterial flagellar polymorphism might be designed to fabricate an entirely new class of nanoscale actuator and sensor systems. Experimental techniques developed in this program will have widespread application to other nanoscale systems in which fluids interact with nanoscale structures. The integrated education activities will contribute to bionanotechnology workforce training that is critical to the nation's manufacturing competitiveness. Outreach components will incorporate laboratory based experiential learning modules in nanotechnology for teachers and students of K-12 institutions in the Philadelphia region. These activities will instill greater appreciation for the importance of STEM education to groups that are traditionally under-represented in higher education.